Method of making manifolds for engines



March 23, 1948. .H. CAMINEZ METHOD OF MAKING MANIFOLDS FOR ENGINES Filed Nov. 27, 1942 7h fold Camz'ncz A VM \ U NE MN J @W ww m g .Nw kw mw kw J vi 7 Q 1 Q RM -wN Q. vN -N%N NN MN RN mi ,NwN.

Patented Mar. 23,, 1948 METHOD OF MAKING MANIFOLDS FOB ENGINES Harold Caminez, Williamsport, Pa., assignor to Avco Manufacturing Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application November 2'7, 1942, Serial No. 467,105

1 Claim. 1

The invention relates to manifolds, and more particularly to manifolds for cooling fluids used in cooling jackets surrounding the cylinders of internal combustion engines.

Manifolds for this purpose are subjected to expansion and contraction resulting from variations of the temperature of the engine parts, the cooling fluid, the atmospheric temperatures in which the engine is operated, and are also subjected to vibrations from the engines, particularly those used in aircraft.

One object of the invention is to provide a manifold which comprises plural sections connected by joints which permit expansion and contraction resulting from the aforesaid temperature changes and which also tend to prevent or dampen the transmission of vibrations between the branches of the manifold which are connected to the engine-cylinders.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of producing expansion joints between the sections of the manifold.

Another object of the invention is to improve the construction of the connections between the sections of the manifold and the method of making the same.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features which are hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claim at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a manifold embodying and made in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of a portion of the manifold.

Fig. 3 is a section of the elastic ring before it is placed into connected relation with the sections of the manifold.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of the components of a joint as they are assembled and before the sleeve around the elastic ring is swaged to complete the joint.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the same components after the sleeve has been swaged.

.The invention is exemplified in connection with a manifold which comprises a series of fittings IU which are usually provided with flanges H whereby they may be rigidly secured respectively to the cooling jackets of the cylinders of an engine. Each fitting it telescopes into a branch is of a tubular T-fitting which comprises a tubular member I2 through which fluid is adapted to pass and with which the branch l3 is in communication. A series of joints of the construction hereinafter described is provided between the tubular T-fittings to form a continuous passage for conducting fluid through the manifold and to the series of branches I3 which are individually connected to the water-jackets around the engine-cylinders. These joints are similar in construction and therefore a description of one is applicable to all.

Between the members l2 of the fittings ID, the manifold includes pre-assembled units, each of which comprises a pair of substantially aligned tubular or pipe sections I 4 and an expansion joint or connection between the adjacent ends of said sections. The outer end of each section it is expanded as at l5 to telescope around and is soldered, as hereinafter described, to one end of a member l2 of a T-fitting which is rigidly soldered or brazed to a-fltting H) which is fixed to the cooling-jacket of an engine-cylinder. The inner end of each section I4 is provided with an out-turned or flared flange [6. When the T-fittings H] of themanifold are secured to the jackets of the cylinder the inner ends or flanges it are spaced apart sufiiciently to permit longitudinal expansion of the sections l4. A ring I! of suitable elastic material, such as synthetic or other rubber, extends around and overlaps the adjacent ends of each pair of tubular sections M. The elastic ring I! is formed at its longitudinal center with an annular groove l8, which is substantially semicircular in cross section, for receiving the out-turned flanges l-B on the adjacent ends of each pair of tubular sections M The elastic ring I! is held compressed around the outer periphery of the sections M by a cylindrical circumferentially continuous sleeve I9, the normal diameter of which has been reduced by 'swaging a sufficient extent and to the desired predetermined diameter for compressing the elastic material in ring I! to the desired degree around the portions of a pair of adjacent sections !4 which are overlapped by the ring I! to form a fluid-tight expansion joint. The flanges :5 on the tubular section It interfit with the groove is in the elastic ring I! to secure the sections against endwise withdrawal from the elastic ring I; and sleeve IS. The elastic ring 1 l, which is surrounded by the sleeve l9, permits longitudinal and radial expansion of the sections H3. The groove S in the elastic ring I1 is adapted to receive the flanges it so that the predetermined'compression produced by the sleeve l9 will not cause cutting of the elastic material by the flanges it. Each joint forms a fluid-tight connection between a pair of sections I4 which permits expansion of the sections due to temperature variations and also functions to tend to damp the transmission of vibrations between the units of the manifold which are rigidly and individually connected to the jackets of the engine cylinders. a

In fabricating thermanifold, each pair of sections I4 and the joint described are formed into a unit before assembly of the units into a complete manifold. The elastic ring I! normally has the cross sectional shape illustratedin Fig. 3 with the groove I8, which is substantially semi-circular in cross section, formed in its inner .periphcry and at its longitudinal center. 7 The ring I! is stretched over the flanges I6 on the ends and around the adjacent end-portionsof a pair of tubular sections I 4 with the flanges IS-disposed in the groove I8,-as illustrated in Fig. 4. The sleeve I9, of sufficient diameter to fit snugly around the ring I! and of suificient length to extend beyond the ends of said ring I! when the latter has been substantially compressed, is then slipped endwise around a pair of tubular sections I4 and the clastic ring IT, as illustrated in Fig.4. Next the sections Is are clamped together endwise so their flanges I6 will abut against each other and be disposed in the longitudinal center of the annular groove I8, as illustrated in Fig. 4. While the sections are thus clamped together, a suflicient length of the sleeve I9 to extend around and beyond the ends'of the subsequently compressed elastic, ring I? will be reduced in diameter by swasin One end-portion I9 of the sleeve l9 maybe, left of normal diameter for convenience in performing the swagin operation. During this swaging the elastic ring Will be compressed and elongated in cross section to the contour illustrated in Fig. 5. During this swaging and after the elastic ring I1 hasbeen thus compressed the groove I3 will avoid compression of the elastic material in the ring llbetween flanges I6 and the sleeve l9, which will cause cutting of the elastic material by the flanges' Next, the expanded portion 19* of-sleeve19 is cut off and removed.-

After sleeve I8 has been swaged, the pressure 'used to force the flanges It of section I4 into abutting relation will be removed and they will be spread apart to provide a gap between said sections which is sufficient for the longitudinal As an exemplification-of- -the method of producing a'connection or joint between the sections of the manifoldzwhen the sections I 4 have an outside diameter of 1.25"; the flanges I6 have an outer diameter of 1.38; the elastic ring I! will have a wall thickness of .32" and the'sleeve I9 will be swaged substantially to an internal diameterof 1.66"; and thexgroove I8, when ,the ring -is compressed, will leave aspace of about .15"

1 elasticring during and after swaging of conducting cooling fluid to the water-jackets around all of the engine-cylinders with an expansion joint between each adjacent pair of T- :fittines.

tic ring at the joints.

. 4 r between the outer edges of the flanges I6 and the sleeve I9. This exemplification results in a fluidtight flexible and expansible joint between a pair of tubular manifold sections. The flared or flanged end portions of section I4 in conjunction with the groove in the elastic ring serve to locate the ring relatively to the sections lLduring the swaging operation, preventaccidental. sliding of the tubular sections out of the elastic ring, and V the groove prevents sunicient compression of the elastic ring at the flanges to avoid cutting of the the sleeve around the elastic ring.'

The invention provides a manifold for a cooling 7 fluid having T-connections which are rigidly secured. to aplurality of cylinder-jackets and tubularconnections between the T-connections with joints which [are flexible, space the tubing sections apart for expansion and contraction, provide fluid-tight connections betweenthe tubular sections and whichpermit the sectionsof the manifold when subjected to vibration by the enrgine to vibrate independently of'one another and with therespective cylinders. to which they are 1 secured and thus damp the transmission of vibration from one section to another.

. In fabricating the manifold, a pair of short tubular sections are flexibly joined together and V the joint between them can'be readily completed by swaging before they are assembled with the branches l2 of the T-fittings. .After the tubular sections I l have been connected-together in pairs each section is joined to one branch IZof' a T fitting. When the expanded portion I4 is formed .on each tubular section a shoulder 20 is provided adjacent the inner end of the expanded. portion.

Each section I4 is joined to one branch I2 of the T-fitting by inserting a ring 2| of solder in the expanded portion Idat the shoulder 20; One end of the branch i2 is then inserted intotheexpanded portion against the ring 2| of: solder. Thetubular portionadjacent the ring of'solder is then locally heated which causes the solder to flow by capillary attraction and form a fluid-v .tight joint between each branch I2 and one of the tubular sections I l. Each of the sections I4 is similarly joined to a branch I2 .ofa T-fittin-g until the manifold is completed withthe desired number of T-sections and expanded joints. 7

r The invention is particularly advantageouswith aircraft engines. .Heretofore it has been customary to connect manifold sections by sectionsof hose and clamps. There is always danger or likelihood of the clamps being excessivelyorinsufficiently tightened in'servicing an airplane-V. engine. The present invention provides'foruniform and predetermined compression of theelasis essential to have light-weight, efficient, uniform expansion joints such as result from the present invention, V

The invention is notto be understood asrestricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the, spirit andscope of the invention. 7 7 7 Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure :by Letter Patent is: j 7

That improvement in fabricating'amanifold for, an internal combustion engine with; an expansion joint for connecting a pair of'pipe-sections'endwise of each otherfor the flow-of; fluid ,therethrough and provided with out-turned flanges at, and straight cylinder portions adjacent With airplane engines, it

their ends which comprises, assembling an elastic ring in overlapping relation with the end-portions of both sections, the ring in its normal shape having an annular groove in its bore into which the flanges extend when the ring is placed around the sections, assembling around the ring a substantially straight cylindrical sleeve of sufllcient length to lap the ring and both of the sections, forcing the flanged ends of the sections together and swaging the ring to straight cylindrical form of reduced diameter while the ring and the sections are confined in the sleeve and the flanges are in said groove, and thereby compressing and elongating the ring between the sleeve and the straight portions of the sections into a fluid-tight fit around sufiicient areas of the sections and spreading apart the flanges for flexibly connecting the sections for the flow of fluid therethrough, the groove in the ring preventing excessive compression of the elastic material in the ring between the flanges and the sleeve.

HAROLD CAMINEZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 5 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

